Becoming Better at Prayer

The child kneels by the bed and begins to pray, “Dear God, thank you for my family, thank you for Jesus, thank you for the trees, thank you for the worms, thank you for the dirt…” As the prayer continues, everything in creation seems to be covered; from the tallest Redwood to the deepest ocean cavern. Every person is in the family is included in prayer; from the grandparents to the family goldfish. Needless to say, children have an interesting way of praying.

As adults, our prayer life will have its highs and lows like every other part of life. There will be moments when we feel we have prayed just like Daniel, then there are other times when we feel like we have no idea what to pray. This is the struggle of prayer.

Over the years, people have asked one question more than any other regarding prayer, “How can I do better in my prayer life?” Allow me to offer a few suggestions to consider as you strive to become better at praying.

Realize there will be great times of prayer and times that you do struggle. Take a moment and read through the Psalms and see how David’s requests (discussions) with God had their highs and lows.

Sometimes we do not know what to pray for; and it’s ok. During those times where you do not know what to pray for, remember that you have the Spirit which intercedes for you (Romans 8:26). The key is to keep praying.

Read God’s Words to speak better words to God. A great step to becoming better at prayer is to build your relationship with God. As your relationship grows, so will your communication with him. The better relationship you have, the more you will find yourself praying. (See Daniel)

Make time for prayer. Do not let prayer become a happenstance, let it become a marked period of time. Normally we consider the prayer life of Daniel because of Daniel (Daniel 6:10-11) but remember that Christ set aside time to pray. Remember passages such as, “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.” (Matthew 14.23)

I hope these will help you in your prayer life, but remember the biggest point, “No matter what the circumstance, whether good or bad, do not forget to pray.”